Genesis
by The King of Soda
Summary: Pirri Masenuko is a Pikachu with the ability to turn into a mostly-human form, and, pursued by the ruthless Team Rocket, will Pirri fall, or... will she overcome? Rated M for dark, mature themes.
1. Cornered

Genesis

DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Pokémon_.

WARNING: This fic has been rated M, mainly due to strong sexual themes including rape and sex scenes as well as some mild language, and it's not limited to those either. If you think you cannot handle that sort of thing, this clearly isn't your kind of story. You've been warned.

CHAPTER 1: Cornered

_May 20_,_ Wednesday_,_ 1:24 P.M._,_ 2007_

She was running.

Across fields, through forests, over flowing streams, she ran, desperate to avoid capture again... in all her heart she knew one fundamental truth — she could _not_ live like that a second time.

_I can't go back!_ she thought fiercely, and this was true; she would die before returning to that awful place. _I won't let them!_

She increased her speed, passing oaks and birches and elms in her haste to flee — normally, they would have been in full bloom with the onset of spring a few weeks ago and the approach of summer, but a harsh winter had forced them into early hibernation. Not that she had time to take in the sights; unable to stop, unable to even slow down, the tiny Pikachu was fleeing for her life.

Her name was Pirri Masenuko, Team Rocket's prize experiment. In an effort to create an army of Pokémon spies and shapeshifters to further their ongoing world domination plans, they had captured Pirri, then a young Pikachu, and begun that awful nightmare on her. For years, she had undergone countless tests which were nothing more than torture, but throughout it all, she had never broken, holding out hope that one day she would be a free Pokémon again.

And then, eventually, her prayers were answered, and a mysterious young human with deep soulful brown eyes had helped her to escape. After that he left her in the care of other humans, but she had never forgotten him, or his brown eyes. Since that day, she'd vowed to find her savior again someday, just to look into his eyes, and when Team Rocket came to recapture her, she had fled. That had been more than a year ago and she had spent most of the time looking for her savior, to ask him to protect her, but in all that time, she hadn't found him.

Pirri had vowed to herself to never return to being Team Rocket's slave, that no matter how difficult it may be, she just wouldn't let it happen, but now, she was just a hair away from breaking her own promise, and her entire search would be for nothing if Team Rocket caught up with her...

The little Pikachu was tired. Her limbs ached and her muscles screamed for relief, jerking convulsively as she pushed everything she had into her speed, but four solid hours of running was taking its toll on her, and Pirri was slowing down, but she could not stop, would not stop, would run all night if she had to. Anything to avoid that terrible fate. The path that she was on ended about a hundred feet ahead and opened out onto a yellow meadow, another victim of the long winter, like so many others.

Pushing her exhausted limbs for all that they were worth, the tiny Pikachu broke past the barrier and entered a wide, open plain with a shimmering, clear blue pond stretching out ahead of her. Spotting her opportunity, Pirri darted forward, ignoring the sharp throb that came from her failing muscles, and dodged to the side, taking refuge behind the rugged structure of a very large boulder. For a couple of seconds, Pirri simply sat there, panting and gasping from exhaustion and trying to catch her breath. When she was breathing a bit more steadily Pirri tensed her face into an expression of deepest concentration, as though attempting to recall a very distant memory, and once she had begun, something miraculous occurred — her body was suffused in an aura of vivid white light, giving Pirri a heavenly glow; the perfect image of an angel, a being cleansed pure from the evils of the world. Her silhouette morphed and mutated, sprouting two arms, legs, and a slender torso. When the light vanished, Pirri's appearance had drastically altered.

Glancing around the boulder, Pirri saw three men in black outfits run into the little clearing, the distinct, intimidating color of the bloodred R gleaming on their chests as they turned their heads from side to side, sweeping the clearing with their keen vision, obviously still in search of her. These three were undoubtedly Team Rocket — the bane of good, decent Pokémon everywhere.

A curse.

"Where is she?" asked a Grunt with long, wild blond hair. "She was right here!"

The frustration in the man's voice was apparent.

"I don't know! Why are you asking me?" the second Grunt responded. He had short blond hair.

"Damn it, we lost her!" the first Grunt snarled.

Pirri heard him slap his hat to the ground.

"She might have changed back to her human form," the third Grunt, who had a blond ponytail, suggested.

The second Grunt whacked the third Grunt over the head.

"You idiot! She's not dumb enough to change back to human while we're chasing her!" he berated him. "How dense are you, Jake?"

"Oh, yeah," the third Grunt said sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that, Jason."

"Hush down, you two!" the first Grunt said. "We've gotta find her!"

"Well, I don't think she's stupid enough to hang around here," Jason pointed out.

"In that case, we better get moving," the first Grunt said. "After all, it's our asses on the line if we don't catch her."

"Right!" the other two chanted.

They took off, and Pirri let out a sigh of relief, falling flat against the boulder.

Pirri was about to move away when a brief flash of light caught her attention. It was something reflected on the water. Pirri knew that she ought to run away now while she still had the chance, but something about the lake was calling to her, beckoning her to its side. This would be the first glimpse she had seen of herself in years, before... _them_.

She crept over to it, staying low and silent, so as not to attract the attention of the three Rockets, even though they had quietly slunk off. The Pikachu stared into the still crystal surface, gazing upon her own reflection looking her back in the face.

What stared back at her was a young woman in her early twenties, with a face vaguely resembling a Pikachu's, but with the large green eyes of a woman, and a mane of thick spiked purple hair cascading down her back in a long, flowing wave. If one were to examine her a little more closely, they would discover her body was fully human in design and shape, but covered mostly in yellow skin with short crops of fur every so often accompanied by tan bolt lines, complete with a large, zigzagging Pikachu's tail.

Pirri marveled at the sight, hardly able to believe it, observing her humanoid body for the first time in two years, since she had escaped from Team Rocket — Pirri could hardly comprehend that the beautiful creature looking back at her from the pond's clear, reflective surface was truly her own self. There were still some distinguishing Pokémon-ish characteristics, but mostly, Pirri was human in every conceivable way.

_Incredible_, Pirri thought. _Is that really me?_

FLIT! FLIT! FLIT!

"Ah!" Pirri gasped, and the next second, her hands and feet were bound together by something cold and powerful. She tried to summon electricity for a Thunderbolt attack, but Pirri found that she felt oddly drained... it was as though energy, her very life force and willpower to fight, to struggle and to resist and avoid this awful, horrible fate, was being leeched out of her body and sucked into something else...

The bonds! They were doing this to her!

She was trapped! The three Grunts stepped into view, chuckling menacingly.

"See? I told you it was her!" the first Grunt said, laughing.

"Good thing you thought to come back, just to double check," Jake pointed out.

"Yeah, otherwise we might never have found her," Jason said.

Despite the nearly overwhelming sense of fear emanating from her, Pirri glared up at the Rockets with fierce determination, which seemed to amuse them. Pirri knew one thing — she would _not_ go down without a fight! Pirri reached deep inside herself and tried to pull out all of the power that she knew resided there, intending to blast the three Grunts with jolts of powerful electricity, but before that command could even reach the rest of her body, she felt herself sag as more life energy was stolen from her body, and Pirri slumped over, panting in exhaustion.

"What, you think you can break through our special reinforced handcuffs there, girl?" Jason sneered with a haughty look. "Don't be stupid! The second you try to use an Electric-type attack, the cuffs will just steal that energy from you and then use it to contain you." Jason laughed haughtily. "Face it! You've lost! Perhaps if you hadn't spent all that time staring into some useless pond you could have escaped, but it's too late for you, girl. You're coming back home with us, and there's no one around here to help save you now. Better get used to living in a tube, because that's where you'll be for the rest of your life!"

The Grunts all shared in the mocking laughter.

Pirri hung her head in total defeat, knowing every single word they spoke was the truth. What _could_ she do? If those cuffs really absorbed her Electric energy then there was no way that she could ever escape from them. She had let her guard down, and now they had her — Pirri was outnumbered and cornered, all alone, with nobody to rescue her. Jason had been right; there was nothing she could do, and Pirri would be taken back to the lab, and the little, frightened Pikachu could only imagine the brutal punishment she would face for daring to defy them.

_No! No! There has to be a way out of this!_ she thought desperately. _I just can't give up!_

But while the Pikagirl sat there furiously pondering all of her remaining options, Jake spoke up.

"We should be getting back now," he said, holding up a Poké Ball that Pirri instantly recognized as her own.

Pirri froze. If they used that on her now, she would never escape Team Rocket's clutches...

_Please_,_ powers above_,_ no!_ she screamed inside her head.

"Hang on a moment, Jake," the first Grunt said, holding up a hand to stop him.

"What is it, Jeremy?" Jake asked, looking confused.

The Grunt named Jeremy leered at Pirri, his roaming eyes taking in every aspect of her exposed body, drinking in the sight; they traveled from her round, fully formed chest across her slender, shapely torso, down over her curving, well defined hips, finally resting on her vagina, nestled between her wide open legs, the folds of her entrance parted open like lips, as though inviting him in, beckoning him, calling to him, urging him to stick it in her and have his way with her, like he'd done with so many other women, whether they had wanted it or not, and to make her pay for running away. It _had_ been so long since his last...

_What's he doing?_ Pirri wondered. _Why is he looking at me like that?_

Jeremy licked his lips, a gesture that Pirri quite frankly found to be unnerving. It reminded her a little too much of the times she had seen a Pokémon prey on another like the Pidgeotto that swooped down on the Caterpie from high above. Pirri had a feeling that whatever he was planning, that she was probably _not_ gonna like it, and her heart sank with sudden dread.

_What is he going to do with me?_ she thought fearfully.

An evil grin split Jeremy's face.

"Jake, Jason, I think I'm going to have a little fun with her first," he said eagerly.

The other Grunts shared a knowing look.

"I don't know, Jeremy," Jake said. "I mean, orders were not to harm her."

Jason whacked Jake over the head once more.

"Lighten up, you pussy!" Jason admonished. "Let him have his fun. Maybe afterwards you and I can get a turn."

"I'm still not sure about this..." Jake mumbled hesitantly. "What if the Boss finds out?"

"The Boss doesn't need to know," Jeremy said calmly, his leer more pronounced than ever, stretching the sides of his mouth into a sadistic sneer. "Besides, think about it this way; I'll be putting her back in her place. She never should have run away. It's her own fault. Now she has to pay for that mistake. Besides, it's not like she's a human being. She's a Pokémon and they're just tools. They were created to obey."

"Well, if you say so..." Jake said, trailing off uncertainly.

Decided, Jeremy began walking in her direction. Pirri felt her heart speed up in panic and she instinctively jerked away from him, but she could only move so fast, especially with those steel bonds restricting the movements of her arms and her legs. The Pikagirl fell face forward to the ground, unable to move, and Pirri could only watch in horror as the Grunt's footsteps came closer and closer to her. They stopped right in front her, and Pirri looked up, finding herself staring into greedy icy blue eyes. Pirri felt a very strange sensation as the Grunt stared at her — a slimy, creepy feeling worming its way up Pirri's gut. Pirri still had no idea what the man wanted but now she was absolutely certain that whatever he wanted, it definitely would _not_ be very pleasant for her.

Jeremy smirked widely, thoroughly enjoying the sight of the Pikagirl laid out in front of his feet, as though bowing to him in supplication. It fit her well — the lower species humbled at the feet of human beings, the owners of all the Pokémon in the world. Oh, yes, he was _definitely_ gonna have some fun with her. The Grunt's heart was racing and his pulse was quick and he could feel himself growing longer and longer in anticipation of the coming event. If he contained himself anymore, he would felt as though he was going to explode!

"What... what are you going to do to me?" Pirri moaned timidly.

The Grunt knelt down next to her and looked at her with leering, hungry eyes. Pirri felt a strange sensation as he stared at her, a slimy, creepy feeling worming its way up her gut. She had no idea what the man wanted, but now she was absolutely certain that whatever it was, it definitely _not_ going to be pleasant.

Jeremy knelt next to her, roughly grabbing hold of her hair and yanking her upright. It hurt a lot, and the Pikagirl cried out at the pain shooting through her scalp, her lips quivering. It felt like her hair was being ripped right out of her head by the roots! Jeremy brought her up so they were staring face-to-face; she felt his hot breath on her face, sending waves of terrified chills racing across her body.

"I'll teach you to run away from Team Rocket, you Pika-_Bitch_," Jeremy growled.

SMACK!

"Ow!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes as she fought the urge to cry. "Please, don't hurt me!"

"Oh, I'm gonna do worse than that," Jeremy said slyly, a cruel grin etching its way across his features.

With that, Jeremy reached out and roughly seized hold of her right breast, his fingers poking deep into her sensitive skin. The feeling was rough and harsh, and sent a wave of nausea running through her, as though Pirri had eaten something poisonous, which made her feel sick inside. Where this simile came from she had no idea, but she knew it to be accurate.

"Ow!" she cried. "Stop that!"

Jeremy ignored Pirri's cry and, with a twisted smile on his face, reached out and grabbed the next one. With both of them now in his possession, Jeremy began savagely squeezing them together, moving them back and forth, turning and twisting them viciously in his grasp, while each time Pirri's stomach lurched sickeningly along with the pain she was feeling. A sick, nauseating feeling permeated her to her very core. It hurt! It felt so _wrong_!

"Stop that!" she begged. "Ouch! Please stop it! Please! You're hurting me!"

"I'm only just beginning, girl," Jeremy said.

"No, please!" Pirri moaned, desperately wanting a way out, to escape. "Stop it!"

She had no idea what the Grunt was doing, but the forceful way in which he was handling her sent chills down her spine and caused her heart to beat faster with the terror, her stomach filling with an almost overpowering sense of nausea that made her want to puke. This was so _wrong_, she knew it, but the Pikagirl was powerless to stop him!

"Heh, I'm gonna enjoy this!" Jeremy crowed, leaning in closer to her left breast.

And then, to her complete and utter surprise, the Rocket actually placed his mouth over her breast and began sucking on it, lolling his tongue around her her nipple and chewing on it, as if he was eating something delicious! And for every move which Pirri made, more and more energy was stolen from her. Pirri couldn't fight back! She was completely helpless, and feeling sicker than she ever had before!

"What are you doing?" she moaned weakly. "Please stop! You're making me feel uncomfortable!"

Just then, the Grunt bit down on her breast.

"OW!" Pirri cried, trying to get away from the Grunt, but the handcuffs reminded her of their presence and her struggle quickly died down.

Pirri could feel the Grunt teasing the pointed tip of her breast with his tongue, causing it to sharpen as he caressed it back and forth. Pirri felt strange sensations working their way through her body, foreign, alien sensations Pirri could not identify, but they filled the Pikagirl with a hot sweaty feeling that made her want to throw up more than anything.

The Grunt just cackled. "I think that's enough playing around."

_What does he mean?_ Pirri wondered inside her head.

The Grunt began running his hands down her waist, over her well toned abs, down to her curvy hips, and then they settled around the entrance to her vagina. With one placed firmly around her waist as he bit and sucked on her breasts, Jeremy unzipped his pants. He put his other hand on her other breast and began abusing it as well.

"Why...?" Pirri whimpered in fierce anguish, feeling more miserable and more alone than she'd ever felt in her entire life, tears of pain and humiliation sliding down her cheeks, across her jolt-filled sacs. "Why are you doing this?"

"Shut up!" Jeremy said again, biting down deep into her skin.

"Ow!" Pirri cried.

"You'll talk when _I_ say you talk!" he berated her through a mouthful of her flesh.

And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, the Pikagirl felt something long and hard being driven inside her vagina. The muscles near her opening contracted as the mysterious object filled it, burying itself deep within her very core. Pirri had absolutely no clue what the Grunt was doing to her, but one thing became instantly clear from the moment it entered.

"OW!" she screamed. "It hurts! It hurts!"

"SHUT UP!" Jeremy said for the third time, biting down once more into her breast as he twisted the other one particularly fiercely.

"OUCH! AHHHHH! AHHHHH! PLEASE STOP!" Pirri screamed, both in pain from his punishment and whatever object was being forced inside her. The blinding fear overwhelmed her, and Pirri instinctively tried to run, to get away...

And as before, the more that she resisted, the more energy was sapped from her, and she felt herself falling forward, her head landing onto the Rocket Grunt's right shoulder, all the while, that mysterious object penetrated her insides, tearing through her, shredding through her insides with rough, fiery determination, spreading strange, alien sensations through her body that made Pirri felt completely dirty, and contaminated, as if the Grunt was corrupting her the more and more he thrust inside her...

_What is he doing to me?_ she thought desperately. _What's going on?_

"Please..." she whimpered, unable to resist the pain, thoroughly awash in pain and humiliation. "Someone... _help me_..."

And then...

What happened next was too fast for Pirri to gauge, but she was suddenly aware of the roar of a motorcycle, and the man leaving her. Then there was a swish, a shatter of metal, and Pirri felt her energy return. Surprised, the Pikagirl looked up and what she saw surprised her...

* * *

Yeah, _Genesis_ is back up... again. Apologies for taking it down. I vow to you, it shall remain up this time.


	2. Friend or Foe?

Genesis

DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Pokémon_.

CHAPTER 2: Friend or Foe?

_May 20_,_ Wednesday_,_ 1:29 P.M._,_ 2007_

Roman stood over the fallen man, lying sprawled on the ground after the blow he'd landed on him, wiping his mouth and slowly rising to his feet. Roman was a young man, in his early twenties, barely out of his teenage years, but his hard expression and the way he carried himself revealed signs of hardship no boy his age had endured before; he had loose black hair with a purple-colored headcloth bearing the symbol for Psychic types strapped across his forehead. Topping off the look was a stylish blue tunic with many rips and tears in it and he also had on two belts; one for his Poké Balls whenever he wasn't busy using them and another to carry his signature longsword, known as the _Titan Thunder_, which was currently out and drawn, glinting silver in the shining sun.

"Ugh," Jeremy groaned, spitting out a tooth. "Hey, who are you?"

"I'm your worst nightmare," Roman said. He let his eyes drift briefly behind him to the girl they had been attacking, who remained huddled at the base of the boulder, watching the whole thing unfold fearfully, before returning his gaze to the Rocket trio without even the slightest hint that he acknowledged who she was or even that she was there.

Jeremy sneered at Roman, zipping himself up. "And who the hell do you think you are, kid, huh?"

"Who I am isn't important," Roman declared. "What _is_ important is that _I_ am the one who is going to _destroy_ you."

And then Roman fixed the Rocket trio in a piercing stare, one that seemed to penetrate their skin and sear deep into their very souls, an emotionless look, which caused them to almost wet themselves from the fear, as if something was slithering into their bodies and burrowing into their deepest depths, filling them with dread. It was a look which made them shiver and really wonder if what they were fighting for was right.

The other Grunts might have been seriously considering running for their lives, but the Rocket Roman had kicked, he started — he started _laughing!_ Roman narrowed his eyes to dangerously small slits. "You obviously don't know how you're messing with, little boy. We're Team Rocket, and we'll do anything to get that girl over there. So piss off!"

Roman angled his sword back, poised for attack. "So, you think you can take me in a fair fight, do you?" he asked.

"You don't scare us!" Jeremy laughed haughtily. He looked back at the other Grunts. "Jake! Jason! Send out your Pokémon!"

The thought of their Pokémon seemed to restore their confidence.

"Right!" the Grunt with military short hair, evidently Jake, said.

"Sure thing, Jeremy!" Jason, the one with the blond ponytail, added.

They threw two Poké Balls in the air, and from them materialized a brawly, muscle-bound Machoke that looked like it could shatter stone with one blow, and an intelligent, ready-to-fight Kadabra, eagerness gleaming in its slitted eyes, both pumped for the upcoming battle.

Roman knew he could end this fight instantly but he decided he'd let the Grunts sweat a bit first. To give them a taste of what he was truly capable of, and help them experience _true_ terror. Roman let his eyes drift to the nearby trees and focused his attention on one in particular. A deep purplish light shone in his eyes, erasing his pupils completely, and immediately, the tree uprooted itself from the ground, the top half disconnecting itself from the trunk with a satisfying crunch noise. The treetop hovered silently in midair while the remnants of the tree fell to the ground with a booming thud.

The Grunts reacted.

"Whoa!" Jake cried, his eyes bulging.

"It can't be..." Jason whispered, mouth agape.

"Impossible!" Jeremy finished for them.

Roman concentrated on the treetop, and the top end broke off into four smaller pieces, each tapering off into razor-sharp tips at the very ends. Then, armed only with the powers of his mind, Roman locked his eyes onto Jeremy, the Grunt with long, blond hair who was raping the girl, and sent the four pieces flying!

The pieces imbedded themselves in the Grunt's legs and arms and carried him with them as they impaled themselves into a nearby tree. Blood spurted from the wounds as Jeremy howled in agony, crimson tracks trailing down his arms and legs while he thrashed wildly against the restraints, completely immobilized, not unlike his victim had been only moments before.

"No way... how did he do that?" Jason whimpered, trembling in fear and backing up a few paces.

"No! Jeremy!" Jake yelled, eyes still wide, but looking angry now. "How dare you!"

"Now you see," Roman said. "I _am_ the one who is going to _kill_ you." He pulled two Poké Balls off his belt. "Let's go, Sunlight! Inferno!"

An Espeon and a Houndoom popped out of the Poké Balls. The Houndoom was the same as any other of the Dark/Fire-type, clad in the darkest black, and virtually doglike in its appearance, grinning wickedly with feral anticipation, but the Espeon...

"Holy Miltanks!" Jason gasped, beholding the sight of the gleaming golden Espeon standing in front of him, and temporarily ignoring the screams of his wounded brother, still impaled on the tree. The gold Espeon purred and licked at its paw delicately, then it looked up and assumed a battle-ready stance. "What's up with that Espeon?"

Jake whacked the other Grunt across his head. "That's not important right now!" he said harshly.

Jason looked embarrassed. "Uheheheh, right, brother," he said sheepishly.

"You... idiots!" Jeremy bellowed, now paying attention to the fight about to take place in front of him and trying to ignore the horrific pain emanating from his arms and legs, which were still bolted to the tree. "You have guns! Use them! _Kill him!_"

Nodding once to confirm the order, the Grunts drew revolvers from their hip holsters, and Roman tightened his grasp on the _Titan Thunder_ in his hands. The moment, he knew, was quite close. "Go ahead, try it," he told them.

"Shoot! Kill him! Kill him!" Jeremy screamed.

The Grunts began shooting. Roman immediately focused his power inward and let himself phase out of the normal continuum of time and space, his body vanishing in a blur of particles as Roman completely let go of himself and faded into nothingness.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Jake demanded, looking around wildly.

"He disappeared!" Jason shouted, dropping the gun in shock.

Behind them, the Pokémon battle was fully underway. The Espeon used Confusion on the Machoke, sending its hit points plummeting to practically zero and forming little, dazed-looking swirls in its eyes. It was confused! Meanwhile, Houndoom was trying to get closer so that it could Bite the Kadabra, but was having a hard time as it was busy avoiding its Psychic attacks.

At the same time, Roman himself appeared behind Jason, the _Titan Thunder_ ready to use. Without hesitation, he swung the _Titan Thunder_ with all his strength. Cold, unforgiving metal made contact with flesh and Jason's head was separated from his shoulders as Roman's sword cut it clean off. The body of the Grunt who had been known as Jason hung there for a few tantalizing seconds, then fell like a marionette whose strings had been cut, clearly dead.

Jake backed away, screaming in fear.

"No, Jason! How could you? You monster!" he yelled.

Jake began firing point-blank at Roman, but none of the bullets seemed to even touch him! A faintly yellowish barrier glowed around every point of impact, obviously protecting the strange warrior from harm. Roman's pupils had disappeared into his eyes as glowing purple light shone within them; an awe-inspiring and horrifying sight for the terrified Grunt, like a vision of hell come to exact righteous retribution on him for all his sins, a demonic nightmare manifested straight from his darkest nightmares.

"What... what are you?" he gasped, knees shaking in terror.

"I am your killer," Roman said softly, lifting his sword for the kill.

"No!" Jake screamed, eyes huge with fear. "No! Please don't!"

Ignoring his desperate plea for survival, Roman slammed the _Titan Thunder_ into Jake's chest, driving it in deep. Jake screamed in agony and Roman leaned in close, twisting the _Titan Thunder_ in deeper till blood spat from his mouth. His eyes widened, and then glassed over, blank and unknowing as his body slumped, slack and unmoving. He was dead.

Roman swung Jake hard off his sword, and he landed several feet away. With the second Grunt now dead, Roman turned around to face Jeremy, still tied to the tree and powerless to escape the very same fate that had befallen both of his brothers.

"No! You little ruffian! How could you kill my brothers?" he bit out, still fighting against the bonds that held him down.

Roman slowly approached the bound and helpless man, purple light gathering in his eyes until icy fire burned in them, thunder on his face and radiating a palpable aura of cold menace. Behind him, the other Pokémon had quit fighting with their Trainers dead, and Sunlight and Inferno followed after Roman, intent on standing with their master.

"There are two rules to consider when fighting me," Roman said. "Do you want to know what they are?"

"Little coward!" Jeremy roared, but it was clear that he was frightened. "Let me go and we'll see how tough you are!"

"Rule number one is, never fight me in the first place," Roman went on, acting as if he hadn't heard Jeremy. He stopped a couple feet away from the captive Grunt, his eyes boring into him. "The second rule is, never piss off the Roman. It'll be your last mistake."

Jeremy's eyes popped out of their sockets.

"No! Roman? You? No, it can't be!" he screamed, now positively desperate to free himself from the wooden stakes.

"Yes, the Roman," Roman said slowly.

Roman lifted the _Titan Thunder_ and stared at its polished gleaming surface, now stained red with the blood of the other Grunts, evidently deep in thought. He didn't speak for a full two minutes, and when he did, his voice was as soft as the gentlest whisper.

"Now what punishment should be sufficient for you?" he mused. "Ah, I know."

And Roman brought the _Titan Thunder_ down across the Grunt's left arm, cutting through flesh and bone, and separating it from Jeremy's torso. Crimson blood exploded from that wound as the severed arm hung limply from the wooden stake. Jeremy screamed in agony, twisting around in terror and pain.

"Arrrgghh! You monster!" he cried, tears running down his cheeks.

"Oh, but I'm only getting started," Roman intoned.

"Please, no, don't do it..." Jeremy whimpered in complete terror, moving the stub where his arm had been in horrified disbelief, as if he really could not believe that his arm truly wasn't with him anymore.

"Yes, that's right, beg," Roman said, without any emotion; he might have been stating a simple fact, like the sky was blue or the grass was green. "Beg before I kill you, knowing that everything you ask for, I'll refuse."

And he brought the _Titan Thunder_ down on Jeremy's second arm, slicing it neatly off his torso as more blood burst from the detached limb, and agonized screams tore themselves from Jeremy's throat, sapphire eyes pleading with Roman to stop, to be merciful, to show him the compassion he hadn't had the heart to show the girl only minutes ago.

Roman gave him nothing.

"Feel the terror," he stated emotionlessly, even as Jeremy pitifully wriggled his armless stumps, still trying in vain to break free and run away. "Feel the pain. Feel the helpless agony, and know that you have brought this on yourself. For the more evil you create, the more I will push back on you."

And with that, Roman swung the _Titan Thunder_ through the Grunt's legs, removing them instantly with one clean swipe. Jeremy's limbless torso fell to the forest floor with a dull thud, screaming and sobbing, blood gushing from his severed limbs.

"Killing you now would be too quick of a punishment," Roman continued. "No, I have something far better in mind — an eternal torment that can never end, that will last for as long as you live. A thousand nightmares cannot compare to the horror you will soon experience."

And he stretched out his hand, palm open, over the helpless Grunt, concentrating intently on what he was about to do.

"Why... why are you doing this?" Jeremy moaned in fear, echoing his final victim's pleas.

"You're Team Rocket," Roman explained, displaying emotion for the very first time since he had appeared, his voice as icy cold as the chill winter breeze — and Jeremy knew his fate was sealed. "That's all the reason I need."

And with that, he reached out with his mind and sent tendrils of energy pulsing into Jeremy's body, purple light shining in his eyes and giving him the outward resemblance of a demon. The doomed Rocket could only gaze upon Roman with fear, and pretty soon his visage had warped into the vision from hell he saw him as, growing horns, fangs, as the world around him twisted and distorted into a blurry red haze of surreal sights and sounds. The monster before him growled savagely and pounced, tearing into his soft flesh with brutally sharp teeth.

"Aggghh! No! No! Please! Don't hurt me!" he cried. "No, please don't! Please!"

But the vision ignored him and continued ripping through his exposed flesh with all the eagerness of a Scyther coming in for the kill. It was a living hell, and soon he lost himself in the depths of pain and despair, never to return...

* * *

Roman sighed, releasing the tension from his body and gazing down on the pitiful, moaning form of the Team Rocket Grunt who was called Jeremy. Roman had performed one of his signature attacks, which he had dubbed Eternal Nightmare, a move that drew on the pain and fear Jeremy was feeling and would replay itself in his mind over and over for the rest of his life, a waking death which could never end.

_A fitting punishment_, Roman thought. _He deserved no less._

Then he remembered that girl the Grunts had been harassing, and turned his around to face her...


End file.
